Chapter 22: The Floor of Tests (2)
Sssaaa—
A cool breeze brushed through the reeds and over my body.
I looked around and spread my shinsu widely, but nothing nearby caught my senses. Did Headon purposely send me far away from the other Regulars? Still, the scenery is really beautiful.
Beeeep—
Suddenly, a mechanical sound rang out in the distance. The Test Administrator had activated the lighthouse to gather the Regulars' attention and explain the test ahead.
— Ah-ah, can you all hear me? If you can't, it doesn't matter—those guys are basically disqualified anyway. Luck is a skill too. People without skill should just die.
What a lovely attitude. Our Floating Castle Rankers were all polite… but this ordinary Ranker is ruder than the 10 Families' Rankers. Truly feels like "the fuller the grain, the more it bows."
— Anyway, those who can hear, listen up. For the next hour, you just need to kill each other—ugh!
Bzzzt— kshhhh—
A dull thud, like someone getting hit, shook the mic. The noise crackled violently, then quieted. The coarse voice was replaced by a refined male voice.
— Are you insane, Hummer? Did you even check the participant list? Ah, ah. My apologies everyone. Please forget everything you just heard. From now on, all of you will wander the test area and form teams with other Regulars you meet. One team must consist of three people, and since you've all scattered upon arriving on the 2nd Floor, we'll generously give you three hours. The moment this announcement ends, the test begins.
— Ah, and lastly, attacking each other is forbidden for the duration of the test. If you kill another Regular, you will be instantly disqualified. To form a team, all three must be in physical contact and agree to it. When the three hours are up, everyone recognized as a team will pass.
The broadcast ended, and a huge screen floated in the sky showing the remaining time and number of teams formed. The test had begun.
…Are those Rankers supposed to be the prototypes of Quant and Lero-Ro?
Anyway, even though three hours is plenty, it really feels like I'm far away from everyone else. And I know that forming a team isn't the whole test, so I began moving diligently. If this were a deathmatch instead, I'd just stroll around sightseeing until they told us to team up.
With each step, I poured shinsoo into the ground and ran quickly toward the center area. Every time my shinsoo detected people along the way, I changed directions and went toward them.
"Eh… what? When did he—?!"
"Sorry guys, but let's try a little experiment. It won't hurt too much."
Fwaaash—
I opened my palm and created a pretty high-density shinsu barrier. Then I expanded it, checking how far the Regulars in front of me would be pushed.
"Uwaaaaagh!!"
Too far. Disqualified.
"Guh—!"
Disqualified.
"W-what the hell! Why is it—?!"
…Disqualified.
"Uaaaagh!"
E2.
In the end, every Regular I met on the way here ended up getting disqualified. Seriously, why are the Regulars here so untalented? Did I set the bar too high? No—this level should be basic. Let's look again. This time farther out. I came from the east, so now I'll head south.
1 hour later
"….."
Only two hours remain. You could say two hours is plenty, but I wandered around for a whole hour and didn't find a single decent Regular. I might waste the next two hours the same way.
I've met hundreds of people already. If I wanted any random teammate, I would've made a team ages ago. The problem is—they all look like they wouldn't even pass the second test.
Of course, the next test might not involve breaking a shinsu barrier. But who knows? Maybe that's a basic standardized test.
"Sigh… at this rate, when am I supposed to find two people?"
Maybe the talents I'm searching for have already joined other teams. If so, I could always lure them to my side.
But the real issue is: I haven't found a single Regular worthy of recruiting.
At this rate, I'll end up eating my own words—telling Maschenny and my friends I'd get ahead and wait for them, only to fail on the 2nd Floor.
"I just need two people who fit my taste… please…"
I'll carry you—just show up. Please.
Two hours left. If I still can't find anyone impressive ten minutes before the end, I'll have no choice but to pick the least awful among the mediocrities nearby.
"Should I go around again? This time focusing on the west…"
No—wait.
Why am I the one running around looking for them?
Shouldn't talented people be flocking to me?
There must be others like me who don't want mediocre teammates and are running around desperately searching for good ones.
Or people who already formed a team but are still wandering.
I'll target them. Elites are drawn to elites.
Having decided, I began manipulating my shinsu high above in the air.
'There's no one in this radius anyway. Let's make it flashy—draw everyone's attention.'
The shinsu gathered more and more, glowing white as it compressed, slowly forming a shape.
A massive sword.
One sword took shape, then another beside it. Then another. And another after that—each formed by drawn-in shinsu taking on the shape of gigantic blades.
When I used this before, I had to hide my identity, so I created it quietly.
But now?
Now is the time to show myself.
I stirred the shinsu waves as violently as possible.
Before long, four massive shinsu swords were suspended high in the sky. Unlike before, they now emitted resonant waves, overflowing with power—heavenly blades displaying their presence.
— Heavenly Judgment Blades
They didn't have any special effect, but by controlling them to shine as brightly as possible, the Heavenly Judgment Blades looked even more magnificent than when I used them against Maschenny.
"Descend."
At my command, the Heavenly Judgment Blades began to move.
Since they weren't meant for killing but for attracting attention, I made them fall as slowly as possible—slow enough for as many people as possible to witness them.
Ruuuuumble— BOOM!
As the blades collided with the ground, a massive explosion erupted, and the tremors rippled across the earth.
"Phew, should've done this from the start."
All that was left was to wait. Anyone who saw that spectacle—and wanted strong teammates—would almost certainly come here.
I just had to sit here, filter out the freeloaders hoping to get a free ride, and pick out the genuine talents who caught my eye.
Sitting in the center of the crater left by the impact, I passed the time by carefully unwrapping the sword bundle resting safely in my arms.
Eventually, I wanted to abandon physical swords entirely and switch to forming shinsu weapons once I became fully proficient. But since someone of Arie Hon's caliber personally ordered this sword to be gifted to me, using it wasn't a bad idea either. Besides, forming the real substance of a shinsu sword was still difficult.
When I unwrapped it, a pale white blade revealed itself—along with a note. It looked like LeBlanch-noona had written it herself and tucked it in.
— The sword's name is Baekya. You know what that means, right? I don't know what rank it is because the guys delivering it were ridiculously cautious, but apparently, it's a Starting Weapon. But don't expect too much. Even if it's a Starting Weapon, it won't activate unless it acknowledges you as its master.
…
"Haha, a Starting Weapon, huh."
It felt so unrealistic I had to say it out loud.
"At this rate, I should just try activating it right—"
"Excuse me, were you the one who controlled those swords earlier?"
A boy who looked to be around my age approached, eyes sparkling with curiosity. He had heterochromatic Odi eyes.
"…Yeah."
Thanks for coming, but… why NOW?
He didn't look ordinary—not at all—but I still needed to check.
Fwaaash—
"Huh? What was that?"
I prayed internally, Please, just don't get pushed back more than ten steps, as I sent a shinsu barrier crashing toward him.
Or rather—I tried to push him back.
Shockingly, he didn't move even a single step.
Pass! Pass! He's definitely on my team!
Finally—after all that suffering, salvation arrives. One spot secured.
"Hey, kid?"
"Yes?"
"Become my teammate."
One more to go.
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